Tough Lessons
by ace-trainer-kimmy
Summary: Thresh, the Drow fighter, had only ever known pain and death. That was until he met the man that would change him forever.


To say that Thresh is damaged would severely underestimate his life so far. He had been through far too much, been pushed way beyond breaking point, and seen too much death and destruction; only to be left with pain, despair and heartbreak.

For a very long time, violence was all Thresh had known. He was born into a small Drow community in the Underdark of Ujjada. When Thresh was very young, a group known as the 'Order of the Faithless' had stormed in and abducted the children of the village. The century that followed was filled with cruelty and torture; the children were put through abhorrent trials and tests in order to forge them into cold blooded killers for the Order. Once they passed a trial, the children were forced to cut symbols into their own flesh to signify their advancement. If they failed to complete a trial or the marking ceremony that followed, they were tossed into the desert where they would likely be killed by the multitude of creatures that inhabited it. After one particularly difficult challenge, Thresh found the marking procedure to be too much. His arms were covered in deep cuts and he couldn't find the strength to lift them. He looked into the crowd and was met with a sea of solemn faces. As his will faded, he caught the gaze of a female Drow. She had a sad smile on her face and, when she realised he was looking at her, she mouthed words of encouragement to him. This was enough to push Thresh to complete the marking. From that moment, he formed a friendship with the female elf, Elira.

Of the fifty children that the Order had taken, only three had survived the induction period. The final test was a Battle Royale between the remaining Drow children, with the survivor being inducted into the ranks of the Order.

A hood was pulled from Thresh's face and he glanced around. He was in a shallow, circular pit. He saw Elira and another Drow. He reached from his belt, ensuring he was armed. Assessing his situation, he knew where this was going, and he hated what they were forcing upon him. A booming voice broke through his thoughts, "Congratulations initiates! You three have made it through the trials and now face your final challenge! You will use the skills you have gained over this past century to beat your opponents; last one still breathing is the winner!" The crowd that was gathered around them cheered loudly.

"You have your weapons and equipment, so let's begin!"

At that, Thresh immediately drew his hand axe and threw it, end over end, at the other male. Before the elf had time to react, the axe had embedded itself into his skull and he fell limp. The crowd fell silent in shock, before bursting into gleeful cheering and laughter. Thresh looked over at Elira. She gave him a slight nod and a sad smile, and he knew that she was conveying that their situation was hopeless and that they had no choice. They stared each other down for a moment longer, before charging. They exchanged blows for several minutes, though Elira had always been much faster than Thresh and he could tell she was ahead of him. It wasn't long until she bested him; his concentration had slipped for a moment while he parried a dagger strike and she had successfully tripped him. Before he could get to his feet, she was upon him. She straddled his torso with a blade at his throat, but then she hesitated. His gaze met hers as she whispered, "I can't do this. I can't be a slave for the Order, and I can't kill you."

He saw the emotion in her face, though no tears fell from her hard eyes and her tone remained even.

"I'm sorry Thresh, please, you have to kill me."

Thresh stared solemnly at his companion, before giving her a slight nod. He reached out and grasped at the hand at his throat, then redirected her dagger. Taking a deep breath, he calmly thrusting it between the layers of leather on her chest. As the last breath left her lips he saw her mouth 'thank you'. He withdrew the blade as her still warm blood fell from her lifeless body. Then, Thresh's world grew quiet. The crowd was cheering but it was barely audible. He felt Elira being pulled off of him, felt someone drag him to his feet, but he felt as though his senses were failing him. He felt numb. It was that day that Thresh learned the cruelty of friendship.

Over the next few centuries, Thresh dutifully completed his missions for the Order; most of which involved taking out anyone who stood in their way. He murdered, extorted and threatened all manors of beings, without any remorse. After a while the Order provided him with his own team of skilled fighters, and awarded him the rank 'Captain'. As he trained them, he grew to respect them. It was from this squad that Thresh learned the sting of betrayal. It began when he and his squad was tasked with killing a high valued target. The mark was an Ambassador for the largest Elven settlement in Valcrest forest. The Order had said that this Elf was enroute to Nadi, via the port of Windhelm. Thresh was tasked with dispatching of this male upon his arrival in Windhelm. Simple ambush was all this called for, Thresh had completed many in his time. The ambush was set. When the Elven man was in position, Thresh pounced. The Elf nimbly dodged his attack. As he positioned himself to take a second strike, he felt a dagger lodge into a gap in his armour. He spun around to see his own squad with their weapons drawn against him. His own men were attacking both him and the elf.

The elf glanced at him with a smirk, "Well, this is quite the predicament we've ended up in. All a part of your plan I suppose?"

Thresh growled in frustration and charged at the closest attackers.

When he glanced back over his shoulder, the elf winked at him as he nimbly parried a strike to his side, "No loyalty amongst thieves, huh?"

"So it seems," Thresh grunted in response, hurling his hand axe at one of his former allies.

The pair fought in motion, driving back their attackers until they had all fled or been killed.

Sweating and panting, Thresh wiped the blood from a wound on his cheek. He looked over at the Elven male, "You fought well. Much better than I, and indeed they, expected" he motioned at the bodies around them.

The male smiled, "I trust I do not need to fight you off too then?"

Thresh shrugged in response. He watched as the Elven male proceeded to walk over to the bodies and began rummaging through their pockets. He eventually discovered that each assassin had a coded note hidden on them. The two of them combed over the notes for several minutes before Garen stood up in excitement, exclaiming, "Ah yes! I'm sorry, but you have been set up"

"Well, what do they say, elf?" Thresh was growing more and more bewildered about his predicament.

"My name is Garen, by the way, and they seem to say something like _in the name of the Order, you will kill Captain Thresh and the Elven Ambassador. Upon completion report to Nadi base for further instructions."_

At that, Thresh genuinely laughed, "The fools think they can remove me" he walked over and pulled his hand axe from the skull of his former ally.

"Where will you go now?" Garen queried.

"To Nadi, I will bring the fight to them."

"It seems we are in a rather fortuitous situation. I am also heading to Nadi, and as it turns out I'm in need of a skilled bodyguard..."' He trailed off, staring at Thresh expectantly.

"I don't guard, elf. I kill, that's all"

"Oh now, don't sell yourself short there Thresh, you've got skills clearly, you just need to, uh _readjust_ how you use them. If it helps, I can pay you..?"

Thresh, who was mid-way through looting the bodies of the Order members, raised an eyebrow towards Garen, "You are peaking my interest, boy."

At that, Garen pulled out a small coin purse and tossed it at Thresh, "Again, it's Garen. Will you travel with me?"

Thresh caught the bag and sighed "So be it, I'll guard you to Nadi. Don't dare hold me back pretty boy or you'll need guarding from me".

Garen's grin widened, genuinely thrilled to have a companion for his journey. He walked up to Thresh, slapping him on the shoulder, "Let's go buddy! Off to Nadi!"

The journey from Windhelm to Nadi was fairly uneventful, much to Thresh's disappointment. Garen had tried to spark up conversation, only to be met with silence and the occasional irritated grunt from Thresh. When they finally reached the city, Garen stopped to take in the sight of the gigantic fortress that was carved straight out of the living stone, "I forgot how big this place is. While I'd love to skip right to the fun stuff our lovely capital has to offer, I do have a little bit of business to attend to and I would rather not be reacquainted with those _friends_ of yours. How would you feel about guarding me just a little while longer?"

"Still got some coin on you pretty boy?"

Garen laughed, "This is turning into a rather expensive journey, but that beautiful smile of yours is well worth the hefty price."

Thresh dramatically rolled his eyes as Garen tossed him another pouch of coins.

The next week passed by painfully slowly for Thresh. It primarily consisted of him waiting outside of the homes of presumably important people, while Garen conversed with them for hours each day. Following Thresh's advice, they stayed at a different inn each night to avoid the chance of potential ambushes from The Order. On their eighth night in Nadi, they found into a small pub on the outcasts of town called Enchanted Flagon.

"Ah thank Eldath that's over! If you are done with that cute _broody dark elf_ thing you like to do, would you care to join me for a celebratory drink? My shout, of course," Garen teased as he called Thresh over.

Thresh smirked, "Now you're talking pretty boy."

The pair walked into the building and Garen ordered them several rounds of mead, then they settled for a table in the back corner. After Thresh sculled his first two cups, Garen noticed his shoulders relax for the first time.

"So Thresh... Is it just Thresh? And what kind of name is Thresh anyway? Does it mean something? Is it Drow for 'broody'?"

Thresh was slightly taken aback by the strange question. He thought on it for a moment before responding, "Do you want the truth, or the sugar coated truth?"

Leaning in closer, Garen replied, "It has been an awfully long week of political figures telling me their versions of the _truth_. Some blunt honesty would be a refreshing change."

At that, Thresh sculled the last of his drink before reaching for Garen's and sculling his too. He then gestured to the barkeep for another round.

"Figure I'll never see you again anyway so sure, why not. It _is_ just Thresh. That was the name The Order gave me anyway. I don't know what my name was before they took me."

At this moment the barkeep arrived with another round of drinks. Garen proceeded to place a gold coin on the table, keeping his gaze fixed on Thresh. A few moments of silence passed, before it was broken by Thresh's amused chuckle.

"If I knew this would silence you, I would have told you earlier."

At that, Garen sculled his drink and laughed, "If I knew this would make you laugh, I would have asked much earlier"

Thresh couldn't help but smile, "So, why was I sent to kill you, pretty boy?"

"My dashing good looks and charm, I presume? Or perhaps the fact that I know a lot of things about a lot of people, and most of these things are rather incriminating. People like to talk, and I am a _very_ good listener."

"And where'd you learn to fight? I've never seen a politician swing a sword that well."

Garen's smile deepened, "I'm guessing you've never seen the warriors of Valcrest. They are the greatest fighters in all of Ujjada, though I may be slightly bias." He paused to take a gulp of his drink before continuing, "Their line stems back to the first elves that settled in Ujjada. My people found a large, lush forest on the western shores and formed the Elven city of Valcrest. For generations we have trained in both combat and arcane arts, all in the name of the Goddess Eldath. Before all of this trivial political nonsense I've found myself in, I trained in combat for more years than I am willing to admit."

"I've never been to a forest before. It sounds nicer than the Underdark"

"It is marvellous! After a long day of training I would often find a quiet, isolated spring to bathe in and watch the sunset through the trees."

"Lucky you," Thresh scoffed. "We were forced to strip naked and had buckets of dirty water tossed on us for bathing."

"That sounds truly horrible. It seems Eldath favours us both, as you made it here to protect me from death by boredom on my political endeavours."

"I made it here on my own fruition, no help from the gods."

"Okay then mister broody dark elf. How did you acquire these impressive fighting skills of yours?"

Over the next few rounds of mead, Thresh spoke of the terrible trials The Order had forced upon him and the other children. He told Garen of Elira, and how he had to kill her. He spoke of the various men and women he had murdered for The Order. He told Garen things he had never told anyone and true to his word, Garen was a very good listener.

A few hours into their night, Thresh felt the alcohol begin to dull his senses, "Time to head to bed, elf boy. Feel free to join if you require more guarding, but we will be sleeping head to toe."

Garen smirked, "A tempting offer indeed. How can I possibly resist?"

They headed up to their room and, as Thresh had teased, they did lie in opposite directions on the small bed. Before he drifted off, Garen thought he heard Thresh mutter 'thank you'.

The morning was marked with the hustle of hungover patrons stumbling home. Thresh had awoken to find Garen beside him, completely naked. After donning his armour and weapons, he looked over the elf with bemusement. He looked very different from his usual composed appearance. He was snoring, his clothes were in a messy pile beside the bed, his hair was unkempt and stuck to the sweat on his face, and he was drooling into his pillow. Thresh reached over and yanked at the pillow, causing Garen to smack his head against the hard bed frame. Garen jumped up in surprise and glanced around the room, "Huh! Where are we? What happened!? And why the fuck am I naked?!"

"Calm down pretty boy, we're still in the tavern. Regarding your lack of clothes, I have no idea when or how that happened."

Thresh glanced over Garen once more, "I'm not exactly complaining though. Now put your goddamn clothes on and meet me downstairs."

Garen hastily dressed, pondering why he had taken his clothes off during the night. As he headed down to reconvene with Thresh he concluded that the heat and his level of intoxication were the likely culprits.

Thresh looked very stern when Garen joined him.

"So listen Garen, our business here has obviously concluded. It's been uh, interesting, but I'm going to need that coin now."

"Gee you don't mess around do you, Thresh?" He looked quizzically at Thresh as he pulled out his coin pouch, "So what do you plan to do next?"

"I'm heading out to look for some people. I need to find out where The Order's base is here in Nadi, or at least where I can find T'zak. He's the bastard who runs the whole organization and I'm certain he put the hit out on me."

"Hmmmm," Garen looked intently at Thresh, "You know, I do have connections here in the city. Information is kind of my specialty. Let me hit you with another pretty proposition. What if I was to assist you on your little revenge mission? I can help you find him in an easier, and frankly, less destructive way. It will be far more efficient, and they tried to kill me too! Besides, I've grown quite fond of your companionship."

Thresh assessed the proposal from a logistical perspective. He did have a good point. Thresh didn't even know where to start to find the information he required.

"It's not the worst idea. Just don't let your feelings or anything get in the way of this mission, and forgo the payment, this one is personal."

Garen smiled cheerfully, grabbing Thresh's hand and shaking it violently.

"Excellent! I know just the person to ask!" At the moment, Garen's stomach grumbled loudly.

"Some food first, elf?" Thresh suggested.

"Yes, brilliant idea partner!" Garen beamed at Thresh and dragged him outside of the bar towards the market place. As they sampled some of the strange delicacies that Nadi had to offer, Thresh glanced over at his companion.

"So elf boy, if this Elven city of yours is so wonderful, why did you leave it?"

Garen finished the food he was eating and patted the corners of his mouth before responding. "As boring as it is, I've always been more interested in politics over fighting. Something about outmatching your opponent with words rather than swords just appeals to me. My father made sure that I learned the inner workings of leadership. He would always say that cities rise and fall at the whims of man. So I figured it was important to make sure there was a good leader in place. I also wanted to bridge the divide between my people and the rest of Ujjada, and I can hardly accomplish that from Valcrest."

Thresh chuckled "I suppose not. What of your family? Don't you miss them?"

"Well that's uncharacteristically inquisitive of you. Of course I miss them. The most difficult part of my journey was leaving my little sister Lialla behind. I dread the thought of something happening to her without her big brother there to protect her. She is so kind and good. Sometimes I look at all of the terrible things in this world and I think that maybe, some of it is just not worth saving. But then I think of sweet little Li and I remember that there is good inside all of us." Garen gazed thoughtfully into the distance before his attention snapped back to Thresh.

"She is an amazing young elf, the finest archer in Valcrest! I trained her to use a bow, but honestly, she is far more skilled than I. Though, like all good brothers should, I will never admit it. I can't wait to tell her about our adventures! It will be an epic tale of mystery, assassins, oh and that time I woke up naked next to a cute dark elf," He winked at Thresh, "You may need to guard me all the way home, as I'm sure she won't believe me."

Thresh snickered "Ha! The only reason I'd go back with you is to teach the poor girl how to use a bow properly. Who knows what poor form you've been teaching her."

"Hey now," Garen raised his hand in faux shock, "I'll have you know I am trained in _all_ manners of weapons, including the bow. Thank you very much!"

Garen suddenly became serious, "Don't look now. The Dragonborn over there in the grey cloak is the person we need to see. He knows everything that goes on in this city. He's understandably timid around strangers though. When we approach him, could you just, be a little more like me? Please? You may not know this, but some people find your broody dark elf thing intimidating" Garen looked Thresh up and down, "Not me of course, I find it quite charming."

"Yea whatever, I know how this works. This isn't my first assignment, boy."

The pair walked over to the draconic figure and when he saw Garen he ran over and embraced him.

"Fal'Andren, my good friend! How have you been?"

Fal'Andren's look was one of surprise and relief. "Garen, I thought you'd be dead by now!? I heard The Order was after you! How are you alive?"

"See this big broody guy here?" Garen gestured towards Thresh, "He's also being hunted by The Order, and he thankfully foiled an assassination attempt on my life. Turns out he makes an excellent bodyguard."

Fal'Andren turned towards Thresh, clasping his hand, "Thank you friend, you've saved a very important person. We'd all be screwed without the diplomatic services of Garen."

Garen leaned in closer to Fal'Andren, "Listen, I'll be blunt. We need to find their leader T'zak. Any information you have on his whereabouts will be invaluable to us."

"I don't know a lot, they guard their information well. Last I heard there was some sort of unrest in their ranks, something about a rogue captain and a mutiny amongst the conscripted members. Rumours say he's fled Nadi. Hopefully he doesn't come back, good for nothing criminal."

"Interesting." Garen interjected, "Do you know where he was headed?"

"I've got a lead, but it's not solid. I heard a local merchant say a gang came into her store and caused a ruckus. She said they stole some horses and headed west. The descriptions seemed to match that of known Order members. That's all I've got."

Fal'Andren glanced about nervously.

"Thank you friend," Garen said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "I cannot stress what this information means to me."

Fal'Andren looked solemnly at Garen, "It's good that you're alive Garen, I hope you stay that way." With that, he pulled his hood over his face and disappeared into the crowd.

Thresh gripped his hand axe tightly, "Do you trust that guy?"

Garen laughed, "He's always been so skittish, probably why he's still alive with all those secrets; but he is a good guy, I trust him completely"

Over the next few months, the pair traversed the north-western half of Ujjada in search of T'zak. They came close to finding him on several occasions, but he was always a step ahead of them. As they travelled together, they grew much closer. They shared experiences that Thresh had never thought would be possible for him. When they explored the forest to the west of Nadi, Thresh was amazed by that something so green actually existed. He was as giddy as a child with a new toy, much to Garen's delight. They spent the night camped under the long fronds of a willow tree. It was on this night that the pair were intimate with each other for the first time. Thresh would never forget how happy he felt that night, no matter how much he wished he could.

It was on a rocky beach just south of Splitrock where their confrontation with The Order took place. They had interrogated an Order member who had eventually revealed the location of T'zak.

They headed straight for the beach and when they found T'zak, he was alone. Thresh stormed over to him, "T'zak!" he bellowed.

The man turned to face him and gave a deep, haughty laugh, "Ah, Thresh. So nice to see you in one piece."

"You ordered my squad to kill me! Why?!"

"Why? Gods you have always been stupid. It is because you were a threat to my reign. The new initiates were always drawn to you. You were their beacon of hope, so of course, I had to snuff that out. Unfortunately, I trained you well in the art of battle, so I had to find a way to make you drop your guard. I planted my spies with you, to find a weakness that I could exploit. The squad was never yours, you fool, they were under my command from the beginning. They reported all of your actions to me and from their reports I found the best way to attack you. But of course, the pathetic soldiers you trained, failed me. Though I admit, when I sent you to kill our lovely ambassador, I never imagined you would end up fucking him. I supposed you could say that I brought you two lovebirds together. Such a shame you'll both be dead soon."

Anger boiled within Thresh and, with ungodly speed, he drew his hand axe and sliced off the man's ear. He reached for his flail, but T'zak kicked his arm away and drew his blade. As T'zak raised his weapon to strike and Thresh prepared to dodge the attack, an arrow came flying past Thresh's head and lodged itself into T'zak's wrist. The blow caused him to drop his blade. Thresh looked behind him and saw Garen, bow notched and ready for a second shot.

Garen had that adorable smirk on his face as he winked at Thresh, "I guess we're even now, my love."

Thresh would replay this moment over and over, wishing he had done something differently. As he glanced back at Garen, his keen eyes saw a slight movement in the bushes. In that moment, a dart came flying from behind Garen and pierced him in the leg. Thresh dropped his hand axe and turned to Garen, who had collapsed, but a strong hand caught his wrist. T'zak pulled him back and stood between Thresh and Garen.

"I am not finished with you, Thresh!"

"MOVE!" Thresh roared.

T'zak stood his ground.

"I won't ask again. Get the fuck out of my way or I swear I will tear your head off with my bare hands!"

Seeing the violent anger in Thresh's eyes, T'zak stepped aside. He felt momentary pity for his former apprentice. Shaken from their encounter, he turned to leave. As he did, he glanced back over his shoulder stating, "This isn't over Thresh... Have your last precious moments you weakling, I'll be seeing you soon"

Thresh ignored T'zak and he ran towards Garen and scooped him into his arms. He could see tendrils of black snaking their way up Garen's body from the wound. He knew this poison. It was that of the Nightmare Blossom; rare as it was deadly. He also knew that there was no known cure.

"Well, this is a rather unfortunate predicament I have found myself in," Garen smiled weakly and blood trickled from his nose.

"No. No! Stay with me, please!"

Garen grasped Thresh's hand weakly, "Thresh. My sweet, dark elf. I will always be with you."

Thresh's heart was racing and his thoughts in turmoil, as he saw Garen's golden eyes grow dim.

"You can't leave me, not like this!" Thresh tore back the armour on Garen's chest and, to his horror, the inky blackness had snaked its way up to his chest.

"Seems a bit late for me doesn't it?" Garen coughed and deep crimson blood spilled from his mouth.

"Don't you dare say that! I only just found you, I can't lose you. Not now. Not like this. If I lose you now I swear to Eldath, to all of those damn gods, I'll lose myself too."

Tears mixed in with the blood on Garen's face, and Thresh realised he was crying.

He felt a gentle hand had reached up and gently brushed the tears aside. "Tell me Thresh. Are you glad that we met?"

"Of course I am! What kind of stupid question is that?" Thresh's thumb was now tracing the side of Garen's beautiful face as his other hand cradled him.

"I'm glad I got to meet you too, Thresh. Maybe in another life we can have more time together." Thresh could hear Garen's breathing strain and grow fainter.

"Fuck that! I want you now, I need you here. In this life!"

Thresh watched as Garen weakly reached his arm back and pulled out his adorned hair clip.

"Thresh, this is my most valued possession. Lialla, she made it for me. Gave it to me the day I left. I want you to have it. When you feel lost, maybe it can help guide you. Maybe if you love again, pass it on to them so you can be reminded that there is good in the world. You are not bound anymore. You are free to live, to enjoy life and to love. There is a good inside you, and I don't want you to lose sight of it."

"You think I'll love again after this?! I didn't want this, I didn't want any of it! But now..." A steady stream of tears fell from Thresh's once cold eyes.

"Come on now, my broody dark elf, would you dare pass up love again? I know you are stronger than that."

As Garen squeezed Thresh's hand tightly, he burst into a fit of coughs. The dark veins had spread throughout his entire body, and were concentrated around his heart. Garen summoned his remaining strength to pull Thresh closer to whisper into his ear, "Please. Find little Li. Look after her. She is too sweet for this world. Just like you."

As his grip began to loosen, Thresh pulled his head back slightly to look into Garen's eyes. As his eyes flittered and his breath slowed, Garen planted a kiss on Thresh's lips, "I'm sorry. I love you." His fingertips trailed down Thresh's jaw and then his arm fell limp.

Thresh felt his heart drop as the realisation hit him. He'd seen death countless times before, but never like this. He had never loved anyone, let alone lost them. The pain of it was excruciating; worse than any physical pain he had ever endured. He slammed his fist into the ground beside him, and let out an almighty scream.

"Don't you fucking leave me Garen, don't do it, you can't. I need you, I can't do this without you. You showed me too much good, too much happiness, how am I supposed to go on without you. I need you Garen, I need you! Eldath, Wee Jas, anyone! You give him back! Bring him back to me, or take me too!"

He pulled Garen's lifeless body closer, resting his face on his chest. Memories of their time together came flooding into his mind, "How dare you pull me in and then leave me in this mess all by myself. I didn't want this. Gods, I love you Garen, but I wish I never fucking met you. It hurts so much. Too much. I'm not as strong as you thought, I will never be as strong as you, I will never carry myself as you did, I'm not half the man you thought I was! I can't do this without you Garen, I can't..."

As he sat on the shore cradling the body of the beautiful male that had shown him true happiness, he wept. It was in that moment that Thresh learned the crushing and absolute sadness of love.

Hours passed before Thresh finally moved. He took one last glance at this beloved, before resting his head in the sand and planting a kiss on his lips. A final tear fell from Thresh's eyes and then he steeled himself.

"I love you. I will never stop loving you. I will be stronger, I will be more powerful, I will strike fear into the hearts of those who wish to do me harm, I will tear down The Order and I will desecrate every corpse of those who oppose me. I will fight to slay those who have taken you from me. I promise you this. And then I will join you, my love. For this life is not worth living if it is not with you."


End file.
